Basic and advanced training

Recognizing abilities - developing strengths

The AIDA Academy is the company’s own center for basic and advanced training in Rostock. Thanks to this transfer of know-how, we can be sure that practical experience from everyday life on board is passed on and that scientific innovations can flow into the process. The subject areas in the training area include, among other things, basic and specialist training, HESS training, language courses, soft skill teaching and management training.

AIDA Academy

Study and training

In order to recruit the best talent and prepare them effectively for a job on board or on land, through our collaboration with Wismar University of Applied Sciences we currently offer three bachelor degrees in Navigation, Marine Engineering and Marine Electronics. The Marine Electronics course at Wismar University of Applied Sciences is supported by AIDA Cruises with an endowed professorship, through which we can ensure that in the future we will still be able to recruit highly-qualified electrical engineers with watch keeping certification for our growing fleet.

Our training strategy is holistic and international in its approach, thereby providing the ideal foundation for a career at sea. The schemes we offer are attractive due to the high degree of practical relevance thanks to close connections with the industry. The know-how of our students is enriched by international experts and lecturers. A network of cooperation agreements with the supply and cruise industries ensures our students have ample opportunity to gain practical experience and that they receive excellent quality teaching.

Studying and training with AIDA means being right in the middle of things from the very beginning, being accepted by fellow AIDA crew members and gaining experience of the various work areas and team spirit within the company. It is our stated goal to provide a sound education that allows our students and trainees to appreciate the interesting challenges and opportunities that our company can offer. Right from the outset, we provide extensive insights into our corporate structure and the different tasks and teaching areas that make up each respective training course. This means that our students and trainees always have a competent contact partner from within our crew at their side, who will guide and support them throughout their training.

In 2016, ten students embarked on a course in Navigation, a further ten in Marine Engineering and five in Marine Electronics, and five of these students were young women. Everybody who completes their maritime studies with us learns the traditional life of a seafarer. An internship aboard the training sailing ship Großherzogin Elisabeth is more than just an experience - it also provides young sailors with the basic skills of seafaring and strengthens team spirit. As a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, we harness synergies within our group. As a result, in 2016 20 cadets from Carnival UK and 28 AIDA cadets completed their nautical training on board the ‘Lissi’. This collaboration strengthens the interaction of future employees within the Carnival Group and contributes to a diverse and multinational education. In 2017, this successful program will be expanded further on the international stage.

High-performing and dedicated students receive financial support in the form of the Deutschlandstipendium (Germany Scholarship), allowing them to concentrate solely on their university education. AIDA Cruises was involved in the project for the fifth time in 2016 and sponsored two students at the University of Rostock.

Since 2012, AIDA Cruises has successfully offered a trainee scheme in hotel management. We are delighted to say that in 2016 we were able to recruit two more candidates for this career path on board the AIDA fleet.

AIDA Cruises also runs an onshore Management Trainee Program. The trainee progresses through various training stations, during which they play an active role in the daily activities and projects in various sections of the business and thereby learns about every aspect of the company. This intensive trainee program aids in preparing the future manager for when the time comes to assume a role within the company.

Furthermore, each year we train young men and women to be Dialogue Marketing Specialists in our Customer Centre. In 2016, one prospective Dialogue Marketing Specialist began her training in the AIDA Customer Center. Since 2005, we have enabled 20 young adults to launch their careers successfully. This only goes to show that this skilled occupation is an established feature of the AIDA Customer Center. Some of these former trainees have since taken up positions in the AIDA Customer Centre or at AIDA Cruises.

The best trainees are recognized by the IHK in Rostock each year. In recent years, our trainees have ranked among the best time and again. In 2015, the AIDA Customer Centre was awarded a prize in recognition of it having provided high quality training for the last ten years.

In 2016, AIDA Cruises continued its prosperous cooperation with the Hamburg School of Business Administration. AIDA offers high-performing school leavers the opportunity to take a sandwich course in the form of its 3-year bachelor degree in Business Administration, with a particular focus on sales and marketing. One student began a sandwich course in October 2016. Two more young adults are due to begin their studies in the October semester of 2017. The students are offered the unique combination of hands-on experience in a work environment as well as academic studies at a renowned university. With their theoretical knowledge and practical experience from various departments of the company, a wide range of career possibilities at AIDA are open to them once they graduate.

Two apprentices began their training for the role of Tourism and Leisure Advisor in August 2016. They are involved from Day One in the daily operations at AIDA Cruises and are assigned exciting roles within ongoing projects. They learn the ropes in every section of the multi-faceted working environment on land and can therefore count on being able to take up an attractive position in the company following their graduation. Three apprenticeships are planned for 2017.

Maritime Simulation and Training Centre

On 14th July 2016, the ceremonial opening of the new Arison Maritime Center CSMART for maritime training took place in Almere in the Netherlands. It is the most modern maritime training center of its kind anywhere in the world.

Around 75 million euros were invested in the latest simulation technology and a hotel for the 6,500 nautical and technical officers of the ten cruise lines of the Carnival Group for development and training purposes.

The Arison Maritime Center, close to Amsterdam, is home to the extended and more than double the size CSMART Academy and is therefore able to double its training capacity.

In total, the CSMART Academy offers four Full Mission Bridge Simulators including control stands, four Full Mission Engine Simulators, eight Part Task Bridge Simulators, sixteen Part Task Engine Simulators and fifteen meeting rooms for innovative training.

Training with the Full Mission Bridge simulators means it is possible to reproduce maneuvers while under the effects of factors such as swell, wind, current, various visibility conditions or precipitation in real time. Training is offered for AIDA Cruises destinations all over the world, including up to 60 ports and well-travelled sea regions. The operation of machinery and emergency scenarios are simulated in the Engine Room Simulator and both team and individual exercises practiced.

Our crew had trained from 2014 to operate AIDAprima which came into service in March 2016. A special feature of AIDAprima is its azipod drives. The drive is installed in a streamlined nacelle and is able to rotate 360° around its vertical axis. In 2014 we introduced a special azipod training program to operate this drive system in partnership with the manufacturer.

We have continuously evolved our simulation and training center and extended our training capacity. The open exchange of experience and the intensive cooperation with our colleagues from the Costa and Carnival Group offer great benefits. The crews learn by interacting with each other in order to ensure the safety of our crew and guests at all times as well as the safe and efficient operation of the ship.

E-Learning and training courses

The further training given to nautical and technical officers at AIDA, as well as courses in safety, security, hygiene and environmental conservation, is managed by the training department of Carnival Maritime GmbH in Hamburg. All new AIDA employees will be informed of these topics in advance.

After extensive adjustments to the training content across the entire Carnival Group, the AIDA Expert Learning Management System has become even more important. More than 40 computer-based training courses are currently incorporated in the system and are accessed by more than 7,000 users. In 2016, AIDA Expert also opened up more opportunities for us to improve standards of training on our ships.

The majority of training courses completed by our nautical and technical officers took place in the CSMART simulation center. A wide range of courses were offered more or less every week and every officer attended at least one week-long course in 2016.

In 2016, 29,013 participants took part in a total of 4,258 training courses (online courses are not included). 2,767 courses were taught on land and 1,491 took place on board.

On 15 February 2017, AIDA Cruises was awarded the eLearning AWARD during the well-known ‘Didacta’ training fair. In the ‘Learning Management System’ category, the fully automated Beginner’s Course submitted by the Human Resource Management department at AIDA Cruises was honored with the Project of the Year award.

New recruits and orientation

New employees have a great many questions. To ease the process of familiarization, we provide them with important information about joining the company as well as our values and the company’s sustainability strategy. Colleagues are available as a point of contact to answer any questions that arise in each of our departments.

At the beginning of each month, onboard training sessions take place in our offices in Rostock and Hamburg. This is where all of our new employees gain their first insights into the diversity of the products offered by our company, the corporate ethos, the organizational structure and relevant systems and processes.

New crew members on board our ships are provided with more targeted information, the imparting of which is greatly facilitated by an ever-increasing degree of digitalization. This information is broken down into four elements to improve the orientation process - contract, medical, travel and training.

Introduction to environmental conservation

From the day they arrive, we educate our colleagues about their responsibilities regarding their use of natural resources. Every new crew member must complete a special environment-based training course, which focuses on using resources, waste water and waste as well as environmental management. Our Environment Officers additionally provide job-specific training, in which they prepare officers, engineers or managers on board for the specific environmental requirements of their daily work on deck or in the engine room. It is vital that this process is suitably transparent: We inform our employees immediately of any changes in daily working processes brought about by legal or internal reforms, and the reasons behind them. It is vital for us that our employees not only act in an eco-friendly manner in accordance with our guidelines, but also that they understand why it is necessary for them to do so.

AIDA offers cruises to North America, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, Canary Islands, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic Sea, Red Sea, Black Sea and Dubai cruises. Discover the world on a cruise with AIDA, meet old and new friends and indulge in a boundless range of wellness, culinary delights and activity - simply a vacation with a smile. On www.aida.de, you can also find deals regarding travel packages, cruises, short trips, early saver discounts, city tours and voyages.